


Separated By The Dark

by eleganceofsmokeDOA



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Abduction/Aliens, Alien!Josh, Depression, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mild sexuality questioning, Past Rape/Non-con, Science Fiction, Teens, Underage - Freeform, fosterkid!Tyler, joshler - Freeform, outcasts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-17 01:04:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11264748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eleganceofsmokeDOA/pseuds/eleganceofsmokeDOA
Summary: Having lost both parents at a young age, Tyler Joseph has been in the foster system most of his life. He's always kept himself below the radar, just put his head down and trudged through life. Being caught up in his own head can be exhausting. His coping mechanisms include music, cigarettes, and long nightly explorations through his neighborhood forest. For the most part he is grateful for his isolation, but sometimes he wishes he wasn't so alone in the universe. He gazes at the stars dreaming of other, better, worlds nearly every night. One night he discovers something amazing but terrifying. Something he's sure human beings have never beheld. This discovery will change him in ways he never thought possible. A new friend will bring meaning and hope back into Tyler's life. Along with something they both have yet to experience.





	1. Grey

Grey. Why is it always grey?  
I’m laying in bed waiting for sleep; not really expecting it to come. I stare up at my grey ceiling questioning it relentlessly. Why must my world be shrouded in such a dull hue? It wasn’t always. At least I think I remember more colorful days. Those days seem so far from reach. So peaceful and fairytale-like.  
I often get caught here. Stuck thinking about what was, wondering what could have been.  
The phrase “What if?” haunts me night and day. I believe I share this demon with many of my fellow humans. One of the few similarities I can easily spot beyond our anatomy. So many possible routes, a countless amount, and I ended up here. Yes, I am aware I could have it much worse, however, pretty much anybody can truthfully say that. There is always a worse situation you could be in.  
My parents both died when I was young. Mom passed when I was five. Dad went shortly after when I was the ripe age of six and a half. That day remains vivid in my memory. I was in school, kindergarten, the principal came to our classroom to collect me. He didn’t speak until we were both sat in his office with the door closed.

“I have some bad news, Tyler. Terrible news, actually.” he looked down at his hands trying to find the words. How do you tell a six-year-old you barely know that his father just died? Principal Gimly decided he would try the direct approach.

“There’s no easy way to tell you this, kid.” he sighed “There was an accident. Your f-father was in this accident. He, well, he uh.” Gimly was clearly struggling to spit this out. I’m guessing my chubby, blank, innocent face didn’t make it any easier. He sighed yet again, then continued.

“Your dad, he didn’t make it, son. He passed away at the hospital about an hour ago.”

I knew those words. I had heard them only a year and a half before about my mother. Safe to say I got used to tears of grief running down my face. I grow even more accustomed to it as the years go by. I thought back to when Mom died. How everyone acted. How I felt. How Dad took it. How it changed everything. I realized this time would be different. I wouldn’t have someone to hold me. I wouldn’t have anybody. I was alone. I had no idea where I would live or who would take care of me. The state ended up having to figure that one out. They discovered both of my parents were very much estranged from their families and none of them even knew I existed. Great.  
So, the state kept me. Good ol’ Missouri took me under its wing and promptly threw me in the first foster home it could squeeze me into. I hopped around a lot, zig-zagging all over the state.  
I learned to keep my things close and my head down. I’m not a fighter. I’m not a rebel. I don’t challenge. I found life went much smoother if I just did as I was told. This came with pros and definite cons. A lot of people don’t think twice about taking advantage of you if they know you won’t put up a fight. So, I learned not to trust.  
My discontent with humanity was reinforced at ten years old when I got curious about my parents and decided to search them up. It took some digging but I found their death records. I shouldn’t have looked. I shouldn’t have indulged my restless mind. The pure glow surrounding my parents was suddenly gone. The pedestal I put them up on, gone. The perfect memories of my young childhood, gone.  
My mom, Delores Mary Joseph.  
Beloved wife, daughter, mother.  
The kindest and most gentle human you’d likely ever meet,  
died from an accidental Heroin overdose. Yep.  
My mom, Delores Mary Joseph, a druggie.  
I was so dumbfounded, I just stared at the words for a solid minute. Heroin Overdose.  
Apparently, she tangoed with a diverse bunch of substances throughout her life. She was clean the entire pregnancy, up until I was about two years. That’s when things got bad again.  
I don’t like to think about it much. I have too many unanswerable questions, I just end up feeling frustrated and sad.  
My dad had similar issues. More alcohol related. I also found other records on him. Arrest records. Nothing too major. Just the stupid shit people do while drunk off their asses.  
What’s that expression? He died the way he lived? Yeah.  
Dad drank himself to death by 34 years old. It’s almost impressive.

A loud slam outside my window snaps me back from the past. Probably just the fucking neighbors being their loud selves. I inhale deeply- must have been holding my breath. I rub my eyes with the heels of my palms and blink back to comfort. It’s dark. I’m still lying sleeplessly in bed. Still watching the ceiling. Still waiting. Waiting for something good.


	2. F Today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler recounts the few childhood memories he still has. Including one disturbing dream that's haunted his thoughts for nearly a decade.

*Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep*  
The incessant pattern of my alarm slowly pulls me from my slumber. I was dreaming of walking around an imaginary city alone, seeing sights and appreciating the culture and what not. It was quite nice until a huge delivery truck came out of nowhere and started backing up towards me, fast. Beep beep beep. For some reason, I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. I just stood awaiting impact. Right before the fatal blow, my mind realized what was happening. The beeping was coming from reality and it meant I needed to wake up. Still half asleep, I reflexively threw my hand out and slapped the snooze button. F today. Not that I have a particular reason to hate today. I guess I just feel like it this morning. I finally decide to open my eyes. They struggle to adjust, but eventually, I can read the time. 7:47am. Damn it. I need to leave for school in like, three minutes. Great start.   
Here at T. Newman High, the first bell rings at 8:10, signaling the start of the 1st period. I come slamming into class, completely out of breath at 8:26. Everyone is busy answering the daily question that’s projected on the board. The room is pretty calm at the moment, me being the major source of noise. I try to reach a desk as non-disruptive as possible. Try. Most of the seats are filled, obviously, so I make my way to one of the last few near the back. I was so focused on quieting my breath and not dropping my things, I didn’t notice a foot was in my path. I tripped. I fell on my face, I dropped my things, I made a highly disruptive scene. There was nothing for a second, then a few poorly muffled laughs, some shushes.   
With all eyes in the room now on me, I shakily stood up, gathered my shit, and finally got to a fucking desk. My English teacher, Mrs. Turner, waited for me to situate and look up at her to state (in a rather patronizing tone) “Well… Good morning Mr. Joseph”. More laughs. I replied with a forced smile that was probably more of a grimace. I’ve found I’m no good at disguising my displeasure. 

The rest of the day has gone about the same. Ugh, how is it only Wednesday? This week has been droning on. Days get longer when you're waiting for school to be over. I have three more weeks before the year ends and I'm not a fucking junior anymore. I already know I won't be attending graduation next year. Believe me, I will be ecstatic for this to be over, I just prefer to celebrate privately. Not to mention it's complete bull crap and a serious waste of time. I won't even get my diploma there, my school will just mail me it. How anticlimactic is that? Sorry, but I really don't have any interest in dressing up in cap and gown to walk down some aisle to the principal and be handed a blank rolled up sheet of paper.   
I could probably do with an attitude change. Believe it or not, I don’t dislike everything. I’m sure most people see me as someone who’s angry at the world. That’s not necessarily true, I’d say I’m more someone who’s disappointed with society. Being constantly disappointed can sometimes make me angry, I guess, but that’s more because I can’t do much about it. So, I find ways to cope, ways to feel pure.   
Pure. That’s an odd word; it can have loads of different meanings. My use of it means that I am being my truest self. I’m not wearing the mask that usually hides my thoughts from others. Instead, my true self is unashamed to be exposed, proud of the way I think. The main thing that gets me to this level of peace is music. Music came into my life kind of unintentionally. I can barely remember this one Christmas, I must have been about four, and my mom apparently had no clue what to get me. Aside from two pairs of fuzzy socks and a small jump rope, I got a toy piano. I had no interest in piano. I was four. However, a year later, after mom had passed, dad was sorting through some stuff and found it. Luckily, for some reason, I decided to keep it and had him set it up in my room. It almost instantaneously became my outlet, the one thing that kept me together. I held onto it for as long as possible, but eventually, we got separated. I continued practicing in school music classes and anywhere else I could find an unattended piano. I saved money through the years doing chores for neighbors or selling my old crap to naive children. I finally had enough to buy a cheap keyboard a couple years ago. That thing saved my life. Literally. Writing music with it helped me stay alive through shitty times. Without it, I don’t know how I would have fought this.

 

***

 

I don’t remember much from my childhood but I know I’ve always had a fascination with the night sky. Looking up at the stars and imagining all the different worlds in the universe is something I’ve done for forever. I’d fantasize about living on a different planet that had a totally different society. I’d have a totally different life and I’d be happy. Any other memories I have are hazy and incomplete. I have spotty images of mom in the kitchen on the phone with someone while I’m sitting on the floor with toys in front of me. Certain holidays, birthdays, and parts of our house are other memories I can recall. Our house was small, even back then I could tell. The entire thing consisted of a foyer that doubled as the T.V. room, the kitchen, one bathroom, my parents’ room, and my practically closet-sized room. I don’t remember my parents’ room at all, I’m just assuming they had one. I do remember a few of the foster homes, guardians, and other kids I’ve lived with. I wish I could replace some of those memories for ones I’d actually like to have.  
I have some random memories too. Like the fact that the librarian at my elementary school always smelled of cleaners. That sounds bad but it wasn’t really, it was lemony and oddly comforting. I can also remember this insane dream I had when I was eight. It starts with me walking out the back door of some house. My feet are bare and I’m outside in pajamas strolling down the sidewalk. There’s a loud humming sound coming from above, I look up and see bright white lights hovering just over the treetops. It calls to me in some unspoken way. I follow the flying object until it stops. Then I’m moving to stand underneath it, but not of my own will. Something other than me was controlling my body. The lights get impossibly brighter then I’m somewhere different. Strange noises buzz all around me while my body (without my permission) follows unknown figures. Next thing I know, I’m naked laying face down on a cold table. I can’t move. I call out for help, the room goes silent for a moment. Then even more loud chatters than before. I feel sharp metal against my skin. Their cutting into my lower back! It doesn’t hurt exactly, but I do feel it. Various poking, prodding, and slicing continue for I don’t know how long. I start to feel weak. A figure steps into my view. It’s smaller than the others but just as loud. It gestures wildly and pushes its way through the bigger ones. Everything is so loud and bright. I shut my eyes tight and scream at the top of my lungs. Then I wake up. That dream really messed me up for a while. I thought it actually happened at first! Can you believe that? I told anyone who would listen until my foster parent got sick of hearing about it and told me to shut my yapper it was just a stupid dream. Sounds harsh but she was right to set me straight, snap me out of that little kid craziness. I do still wonder every now and then if I was right, it did actually happen. The memory isn’t cloudy like any other dreams I’ve ever remembered, it’s crystal clear. Was I abducted by aliens? I mean, of course not! Obviously, it was just a dream, a very vivid dream. It’s way too ridiculous to be real.


	3. "WEIRDO. BEWARE!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interaction between Tyler and his music teacher, Ms. Claire, leaves them both awkward and on edge around each other. Dreading her class and dwelling on the issue causes Tyler to recount the other interactions he's had. Particularly with his fellow male classmates.

Managed to make it to school on time today. I didn’t even fall on my face! It’s been an uneventful day so far, but believe me that can definitely be a good thing (i.e. no shit was eaten). I’m kind of dreading Music Comprehension though, which is practically unheard of. It’s the only part of high school I’ve remotely enjoyed. The guy who instructs all music-related courses is this awesome chilled out dude, Director Paul Stevens. Or rather, Mr. Stevens for his more informal students (music comp kids). The assistant director, Ms. Claire, this insanely attractive twenty-something woman, is the problem. Don’t get me wrong she’s a good teacher and she seems to always have the answer to your question/the solution to your problem. I’ve been avoiding her as much as possible recently though. I don’t feel completely comfortable around her anymore. We got along great until we shared an odd moment last Friday. Simply thinking of it agitates me. To be honest, I’m feeling slightly guilty about the whole thing. I mean nothing actually happened. I can control myself, I do know right from wrong. So, of course, I know that any kind of physical/romantic relations with a teacher is something that always falls under the “wrong” category. However, I can’t seem to get the image of her thin, yet highly inviting lips out of my head. I’ll be going about my business, innocently, when something that seems to be totally unrelated, forces my mind back. I’m sure you can imagine how distracting this can be.

I’m almost to the music room. Every step is getting slower. I need to snap out of it. I shake my head and sigh shortly. I’m considering skipping when Mr. Stevens comes up from behind me.

“Hey there, Joseph!” He only calls us Music Comp kids my our last names. I don’t really know why. My theory is that we’re his favorites.

“Uh, hi Mr. Stevens!” I try to sound enthusiastic. He sees right through me.

“You alright? You seem weird. Weirder than usual I mean.” He gives me a quizzical look, which is of course, extremely exaggerated. That’s Mr. Stevens; over-the-top at every opportunity. As always, this earns him a small laugh from me.

“I’m good. Just a long day.”

“Whatever you say.” He says in an unconvinced tone. He pats me on the shoulder as he walks by me and into the dreaded music room.

Well, I guess I can’t really skip his class now. Damnit.

I’m most likely dwelling considerably more than other teenaged boys in my situation would. Most would probably be bragging stupidly to their friends about how their totally gonna get with the hot music teacher. I’m sure they’d exaggerate how far things went or how far things will go. Saying “Ya know that sexy music lady? Yeah, we totally made out for like ten minutes Friday! She wants me bad.” sounds more impressive than “You know Ms. Claire? Yeah, we had a few sexually tense moments and then nearly kissed! I doubt it’ll go any further, she seems to regret it!”.  
For someone who has a grand disdain for my male classmates, I certainly observe them often. My eyes always find their way to the nearest boy or man. I’ve no clue why this happens, it’s annoying as hell. I don’t like people to stare at me, so I especially shouldn’t be staring at people. It’s not like I’m checking them out or something, I’m only watching. I’m observing their behavior, I’m not gay! Although, I don’t know exactly what I am. I lack good experiences in the romance department. Not that there’s much in there anyway. Lack of interest is mainly the one to blame for this. I haven’t crossed paths with anyone that really attracts me yet. The awkward cloud that continuously surrounds me probably has something to do with it too. When I try to be pleasant or even flirty, I just come across as creepy. People also seem to be put off by me before I even speak. It’s as if I have the words “WEIRDO. BEWARE!” tattooed on my forehead and I have no idea it’s there.  
I am open to friendships and romantic relationships. I just can’t picture them lasting long, if they happen at all. Hah! That’s likely another one of my ‘people repellants’; I tend to be a downer. If someone wants to party all night or they’re jonesing for a light-hearted good time, I’m not the first person they would call. They wouldn’t call me at all, actually. I am what the kids call a ‘Party Pooper’. Safety and common sense are things I can’t easily set aside and forget.  
I’ve become fairly alienated throughout these three years of high school. Not that I was particularly popular before, it’s just much worse now. Part of me is grateful that other students overlook my existence. I can do my own thing and not worry about being ridiculed mercilessly. If I drop my lunch tray in the cafeteria, people might look for a second, but then they go back to whatever thrilling conversation they were having about the football team or some shit. If I was in a rush that morning and it takes until fifth period for me to notice my shirt has been inside-out, chances are no one else noted it either. Being invisible has it advantages. Hell, one time I skipped last period cause I felt like going home early, and my teacher didn’t notice I was missing! She didn’t even mark me as absent. Yep. That happened.

 

***

 

Music Comprehension wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The rest of this week has been super awkward and uncomfortable with Ms. Claire. Today was like a switch had flipped and everything was back to normal. She might just be putting up a front (I know I am) but I honestly couldn’t care less. I’m perfectly okay with faking pleasantness.  
I still made myself scarce though. Luckily my instrument of choice is conveniently shoved in the back corner, partially out of sight. I spent the entire hour just messing around on the piano. I think I’ve found a couple missing pieces to the song I’ve been writing. I still have a long way to go before I would even consider sharing it. I’m pretty private with basically everything but especially my music. It’s not that I’m afraid of being judged exactly, I just don’t like to expose the notes and the words that are gateways to my mind. I’ve been told I put up walls to shut others out and keep people at arm’s length. I don’t understand why that’s supposed to be a bad thing. I’ve lived my life free from the drama and pain inflicted by loved ones. They can’t hurt you if they don’t exist. I’ve become comfortable with loneliness. We don’t have the best relationship; lonely thoughts/feelings like to beat the shit out of me periodically. I handle it. Maybe not always in the most healthy way, but I am only human after all.


	4. The arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler takes a late night walk to clear his head. However, a discovery made on this little trek, will only add to the chaos in his head.

Unpleasant thoughts are incessantly pounding in my skull. I’m sitting on the floor in my room blaring angry punk music through my headphones. I realize I have no clue how long I’ve been like this or what time it is. No light is pouring in from my window anymore. I hadn’t noticed when the sun went down for the night leaving me in darkness. I stand up and flop awkwardly onto my bed to see the clock that sits at my bedside. 1:52am. I have a feeling sleep isn’t on the agenda for tonight. I let my headphones slip off as I pull myself up and go over to the closet. I retrieve my black, worn, muddy vans from the back and shove my bare feet inside. These are my exploring shoes, the ones that are meant to get dirty and can take a hit. I always wear them on my nightly excursions into the forest. I take a step away, then look back at the closet. My little pack of Marlboros is staring at me. I know how terrible and addicting they are, I’m already noticing the cravings and I rarely smoke. Yet, I still reach down and shove the box and a lighter into my pocket. I figure since sleep won’t be coming anytime soon I might as well go try to return some peace to my head. The foster parents I’ve been living with tightly lock up the house at night and keep the keys under close surveillance. They don’t want any of us running off, pretty typical behavior for fosterers. Little do they know the lock on my window is anything but secure. All I have to do is wiggle the latch around for a minute and voila! I slowly push the window open, careful not to make it squeak too loud. I crawl out the same as always, it’s practically second nature at this point. I step backward out the window. With one foot on the top of the fence, I grab hold of the sill as I lower my other leg. In a few swift motions, I climb down the fence and land gracefully (if I do say so myself) on the ground. I look around. No one in sight, which is to be expected at this hour. The tree line begins about 70 yards from behind the house. I’m not a runner but I feel the urge to sprint to it. As if I am being chased by something devastating and it won’t be able to find me once I’m consumed by the forest. I can’t resist the impulse any longer; I start to run. My legs are straining as I feel the cool night air cut through me. My breath is irregular but safety is within reach, so I ignore the pain in my lungs. Just before I make it to my apparent refuge, an eardrum bursting roar rains down from above. I stop dead in my tracks, I’m frozen with fear. My gaze reflexively shoots up at the atmosphere. There’s nothing unusual, but only for a split second. Then a purple glow unlike anything I’ve ever seen or even heard of explodes across the sky illuminating my surroundings. A dark roundish object appears. Something like a comet, maybe? Whatever it is it’s getting closer, fast. It plummets toward the ground, toward the forest! It falls out of sight, I hear it crashing through the trees, a deep thud and a bright orange flash overwhelm my senses. Without thinking I continue to run closer to the forest, through the trees, toward the mysterious fallen object. My brain finally applies some logic to the situation and I decide to stop rushing and to proceed with caution. Now creeping across the pitch black forest floor, I start to smell something burning. Not the trees as you’d expect, but something metallic, mixed with burnt rubber and hair. The thick scent fills my nostrils and hangs heavy in my throat. I struggle to focus on my steps as I maneuver through tree limbs and thorny weeds. It feels like I’ve been walking for hours. Part of me wants to turn back, forget this dumb quest and finally try to get some sleep. I could come back and continue my search tomorrow if I feel like it. No, I can’t stop now. What if I don’t find my way back here? Plus, I’ve gotten this far, I can’t bail-out now. I’m too far in already.   
The smell is fading and I wonder if I’ve made a wrong turn or if I’m going in a circle- that one particular tree does look kinda familiar. Or maybe that tree just looks similar to one I saw earlier. Ughejfh! All the trees look similar! I subconsciously grunt out of frustration. Geez, that was obnoxiously loud. Oh well, it’s not like anyone heard me.   
*CLANK!*  
*THUD*  
What the hell was that? That scared me shitless! I can’t tell where the noises came from. Damn. I refocus and am about to continue walking westward when I hear another noise. This time I can tell just where the sound is coming from. I turn on my heel and redirect my path to go North. My pace has quickened. Substantially. I hear more noises. These are different from the others. This one is disturbing on an odd level. I reflexively crinkle my entire face. It’s terrible, organic. It reminds me of the horrid screech rabbits make when they’re in pain and death is near. It also spikes another memory. I can’t quite explain why. Flashes of my abduction dream bombard my brain. I shake them away. Standing in the middle of a forest, alone, at night, in search of some object that fell from space, is not the time to deal with upsetting flashbacks. Wrapped up in my head, I don’t notice my surroundings have changed and I trip on uneven earth. My hands and knees connect with hard dirt and twigs. Confused, I look up and find many things seem to be displaced. Divots in the ground, tree limbs sprawled out randomly, whole trees uprooted. I scramble to stand, eager to follow this path of destruction. Only a handful of strides later and I’ve found it! The crash site! The object of my quest, the answer to my curiosity! Finally, I’ve discovered- erm. What exactly have I discovered? The roundish object in front of me is like nothing I’ve seen or even heard of for that matter. I take one tentative step closer. Nothing. Another step. Still nothing. Right as I start to feel comfortable and safe, the terrible sounds invade my eardrums again. I jump about ten feet away from the thing. I’m tense again. Very tense. My eyes are struggling to make out distinct shapes in the darkness. A sliver of moonlight illuminates something particularly odd. I can only see a small part of this thing, but it is amazing. The subtle colors glisten under the light, they catch every bit of it. I walk closer to investigate. Next thing I’m stopped in my tracks again. Terrified of my surroundings. The glistening object twitched! Only slightly but it definitely stirred. Still standing frozen a few feet away, I take a closer look. If I didn’t know any better I’d say it looked like a limb, like an arm or something. No, not an arm, a leg. It resembles a human leg. Is it a person? Surely not. “Erm. Hello?”. My words quickly disappear into the trees, and all is quiet again. After a couple quick passing moments, I hear a faint mumble.  
“mmurgh. hehloo?”   
What. Was that in my head? I survey my surroundings. I am the only obvious creature around. I must have imagined it. Hah, I’m going ins-  
“mmmurghuh. hehylowe?”  
My brain finally identifies the source of these mumbles: the damned glistening object that moves. I can feel my pulse thrashing through the veins of my neck. My breath is heavy. I’m taking a few steps closer to it. What?!?! Why on earth am I doing that? My body stops listening to my thoughts. Autopilot had been initiated. It was like watching a film, but you’re seeing through the characters eyes. I’m walking even closer until I am standing directly in front of the, I don’t know. The thing. I crouch down slightly and realize the glistening object is not separate from the leg, they are one in the same. The glistening isn’t some type of cover or debris, it’s the skin! This actually is a leg! A leg with iridescent skin, unlike anything I know of. It’s thick and rugged looking, yet somehow I’d still expect it to be soft, warm, not reptilian-like. An impulse overtakes me and I see my hand reaching down to touch this beautiful, unknown skin. The moment my fingers make contact, the thing makes noise again. Not the strange echo of my own words, but the painful screeching from before. My hand instantly recoils. The thing won’t stop. It sounds terrified. It’s so loud, I begin to panic. Autopilot quickly fails and before I know it my mind has (somewhat) regained control and I’m running. Running away as fast as I can move. I’m smashing into tree limbs, bushes, twigs, all the crap that blocked my path before is now getting mowed over by my adrenaline. I know I’m getting terribly scraped up and bruised, but at this moment, I couldn’t care less. I have never been so scared, so confused and disoriented. My trip back towards my house is much shorter than the trip inward. In a handful of blinks, I’m out of the forest, climbing my fence, and crawling back in through my window. I stop for a minute.   
I’m regathering myself, the disturbing cries still pounding in my head. I turn and stare out the window. The sun is peaking over the horizon. The sunrise’s vibrant colors contrast the dark hue of the forest. Any other morning I’d be appreciating the beauty of nature, but right now, my mind is only white noise. Too many images and questions trying to be processed all at once is overwhelming. Instead of attempting to sort them out, I let my glazed-over eyes focus on the trees. The forest looks peaceful, quiet, unremarkable.  
Looks can be deceiving.


	5. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a restless sleep, Tyler mulls over last night's events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! First things first, thanks so much for reading! You're awesome.  
> Sorry, chapter five has been taking FOREVER and I still have a lot to write before it's finished. So, I decided to split it up and go ahead and publish the first bit that I know I'm not gonna change.  
> Just a short lil snippet, hope ya enjoy it!

I’m running. Am I truly myself? Something’s not right. I look behind me, all I see are trees. Dark trees, all around. They are messing with me, changing position randomly as I try to safely navigate the forest. I cannot sense anyone else’s presence. I want to stop, rest for a minute and try to figure out what’s going on and what I'm running from, but my legs won’t comply. They continue to push my body forward stride by painful stride. My breath becomes unsteady, I feel my lungs contracting inside my chest trying desperately to gulp in enough oxygen. I’m collapsing. Panic is building as for some unknown reason, I'm sure I am a goner now. The trees are closing in, surrounding me completely. Then out of nowhere, a figure emerges. Thank the Lord! My savior is here to rescue me from this hell. As it gets closer, my sense of relief is shattered. This is no savior. This is a disfigured being, twisted and cruel. It has an aura of despair and pain, which envelops me completely. It leans down, towering over me. It’s faceless except for a large, gnarled mouth, leaking fluid. Intense fear and disgust make me want to puke but before I get the chance, the figure slashes an arm down at me. Pain radiates throughout my left arm. I wince and am momentarily stunned. My gaze returns to the repulsive mouth in front of me. The figure opens it, revealing several sets of intimidating teeth. I think I know what is about to happen. I’m gonna die horribly so this creature can have a tasty dinner. I’m preparing myself for death when the mouth grows wider. But instead of chowing down on my flesh, it shocks me with the release of a gut-wrenching screech louder than I thought possible.  
With that, my eyes shoot open. My heart is pounding so hard, it’s almost painful. I am hyperventilating. I shut my eyes again and try to focus on calming myself. I repeat the phrases “It was just a nightmare. There is no danger. I am safe.” like a mantra, over and over in my head, even out loud, until my brain believes it. I cover my face with my hands, trying to regain control of my breath. Eventually, I calm down enough and begin to notice how cold I am. I'm freezing! I quickly realize why; the ceiling fan is on high and my clothes are soaked through with sweat. Gross. I shimmy my boxers off under the covers and yank my shirt over my head, throwing it unceremoniously to the floor. My left arm screams in protest at this movement. What the hell? Why did that hurt? I look down and as my eyes continue to adjust to morning light, they are greeted with a dark, purplish, softball-sized bruise. It’s splashed quite obviously on the outside of my arm just below my shoulder. I graze my right hand over it, assessing the damage. Even that light touch makes me wince. I reluctantly shove myself up off the bed and waddle over to the mirror. Practically every muscle I can name is sore. My arms are riddled with small scrapes, dark blotches sprinkle my entire body. I definitely did not make it out of the woods unscathed. It does look like I managed to protect my face from getting beat up though. My jeans seemed to have prevented my legs from scrapes, but they didn’t do much to block the bruising. I sigh deeply, letting the air puff out my cheeks as I exhale. Why did I have to be the one to witness all that? I just had to go out at that moment, didn’t I? I couldn’t have just gone to bed when I realized it was late, like a normal human. Oh no, I needed to go walk through the forest in complete darkness and have a freaking cigarette.  
Images from last night play behind my eyes. I can see it even with my eyes open. The creature’s cries of pain and fear continuously ring in my ears. It’s more than a little unsettling. I can already tell that my mind is not going to let me forget about this and go on with my (so-called) life very easily. Today is Friday, and in my life, that usually means I have school to go to. However, trying to get to class on time and pay attention and not let recent events distract me sounds impossible right now. Plus, I don’t think I could wait that long to go back to investigate and help that creature-human-thing, that is if it’s real and I wasn’t just hallucinating or something. Wait. Hold on a second. What?!? When exactly did I decide to do that? Ugh, I guess my conscience won’t let me forget this either. Fantastic. I take deep, steady breaths and rub my temples. I glance at the clock. It’s still pretty early. I have some time to shower and get ready, then I’ll decide what I’m going to do.


	6. Aftermath- continued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler decides to venture back into the forest to investigate the apparent crash site he found the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for reading! I know it has been way too long since an update. tbh I just haven't felt like writing. Anyway here's the other half of 'Aftermath' for y'all. Enjoy!

I'm sitting at the foot of my bed, staring at my clock, ready to go. The only problem is I still don’t know where I’m going. School? Or the forest? I thought I had made up my mind, I was going to go to school and it would just be a regular day. I would forget about this nonsense. I was right about my mind being stubborn, it’s forcing me to second guess my decision. The more I think about it, the more I believe my subconscious has already decided. I’m tired of debating with myself. Without another thought, I'm standing up from the bed and exiting my room, leaving my school bag behind. On my way out I say goodbye to one of my foster parents, Mrs. Barning, or something like that. She replies habitually without even looking up from her laptop. Finally, a stroke of luck. I slip out the front door and creep to the backside of the house. When I'm sure no one is around and I'm out of sight, I break into a jog towards the tree line. It is not a pleasant trip, my body aches with every step, but I want to get to the trees as quickly as possible. Morning is a busy time in my neighborhood and I don't want to be stopped by a nosy adult wondering where I'm going and why I'm not at school. Speaking to adults (or anyone really) with authority complexes is one of my least favorite things. I loathe getting ensnared in someone’s net of condescending words of wisdom that are slights to my character and result in me feeling as though I’ve done something wrong. Naturally, I started avoiding people any chance I got just to be safe from unwanted conversations. I’ve gotten pretty good at sneaking around in a way that prevents people, adults mainly, from noticing me. It doesn’t seem to matter where I am. I can blend into the background like a cuttlefish, wherever, whenever. The few times I have been spotted attempting to be invisible has been by teenagers (who don’t give a fuck about anything other than themselves) or by a kid that will just stare at me with a confused expression until I’m out of their eye-line.  
As soon as the forest’s tree limbs and shadows disguise me, I relax, slowing my pace to a stroll. For a minute I let myself forget there's a task at hand, I just admire all the quiet life around me. Little bits of sunlight shine through the treetops creating a peaceful glow that makes me calmer than I've been in a long time. I mildly regret never giving myself the chance to appreciate this side of the forest before. I’ve really only ever been out here after the moon has come up. I feel myself smile as I walk into a beam of sunlight. My eyes close reflexively as I take in the scent of the forest. Without the beautiful scenery to distract me, darkness and the smell of the trees force my mind to the last time I was here. A pang of fear stiffens my spine. My eyes flick open immediately and my smile disappears. “Right. You’re here for a reason. Stay sharp.” I remind myself, nodding along with the words. I take a few slow steps analyzing my surroundings; I see trees, dead grass, shrubs, and more trees. Nothing all that notable. Retracing my steps is gonna be a bitch. This could take a while. After momentarily questioning my life choices, I start off on a route I think is heading south. I wander somewhat aimlessly for an annoyingly long amount of time. Although, being hyper-aware of everything that is around me has most likely caused the time to go by much slower. I continue my trek until something shiny catches my eye; a shard of metal. At least I think it’s metal, it looks metallic but feels odd. I’m about to toss it aside and dismiss it as just a random piece of litter when I notice several broken, burnt trees off a few paces ahead. I tighten my grip on the shard and forge on toward the destruction. As I get closer I start to recognize my surroundings. Soon I realize I’ve found the path of destruction that had initially led me to the crash site! My eyes get a little wider and my pace quickens. I’m frantically looking around trying to take in every detail. I find loads more metal-like shards and chunks, most are way larger than the small piece in my left hand. I see an unusually shaped mass that kinda looks like it could be the remains of some type of vehicle. Hmm. Not anything I’m familiar with. I approach it somewhat cautiously. I keep having to remind myself that there is potential danger and I should be careful. I tentatively place my unoccupied hand on the apparent vehicle. It’s cold, rough and hard, like most damaged metal, yet somehow different than anything else I’ve known. I raise my left hand to compare the shard to the vehicle. They seem identical, the shard must have come from this. It certainly flew a ways away from the crash site. This thing fell hard! Well, I guess it did fall from space after all. I chuckle at myself for being so obvious. I move on, tip toeing over the wreckage. I try to retrace my steps from last night to get back to where I saw that leg, or at least what my brain thought was a leg. I think I’ve found the spot, everything looks the way I remember, only there’s no leg. Nothing that even remotely resembles a leg. I stare down at the forest floor in confusion, questioning my memory. The look of confusion remains on my face as I continue to investigate the crash site. I block out all the thoughts and doubt in my head and just focus on what’s in front of me.  
Nothing. I don’t find anything other than more weird metal. I stop moving, rub my eyes, tilt my head back with my eyes still closed and sigh. I just stand there for a moment, frustrated with my situation. I take in a deep breath and flick my eyes open as I exhale. They focus on the tree limbs above me. My line of sight wanders through the leafs a bit then stops, suddenly fixated on an odd shadow. I squint and try to get my eyes to adjust right to better see this form. I’m pretty certain it’s just more tree limbs, but my brain won’t leave it alone. After shading my eyes with my hand, taking two steps in every direction and waiting for my eyes to readjust, I finally get to where I can see this mysterious form. My breath halts, my muscles freeze and my eyes stare hard at what I now know is a living being staring back at me. I’m stuck here for several seconds, questions bombarding my brain. That’s too big to be an animal. Those are definitely eyes, right? What is that then? A person? Why are they hiding in a tree? Have they been watching me this whole time? I slowly try to regain composure. I relax my shoulders, that I didn’t even realize were tense, then clear my throat. “Uh. Hi?” I instantly feel silly and like I’m attempting to talk to a tree. There is no response. I return my gaze to its normal level and have a quick look around. Nothing. No sign of anyone else. As long as I’ve been wandering this forest I’ve never run into anyone else before. “So, have you been here before?” I say still surveying. No response. I look back up and it’s not there anymore! “What the-?” I say aloud. I hadn’t heard any shuffling or movement. My eyes quickly search the rest of the tree top. Where could it have gone? Oh god I’ve really lost it, haven’t I? Imagining people hiding in trees. I shake my head and start to actually get concerned about my well being when I see it again. Not in the tree this time but behind it. I can just see the outline of its arm or something. “Hey. Are you okay?” I see it visibly stiffen as I speak. “It’s alright. I’m not gonna hurt you or anything.” How could someone be frightened by me? I’m the least intimidating person I know. At this point I think it’s a guy about my age or about my height anyway. I hear him say something but I can’t make it out. “What was that? I couldn’t hear you?” He doesn’t say it again, instead he peeks his head out from behind the tree for a split second. Woah. He’s got some highlighter yellow hair! This makes me smile for some reason. I guess cause not many people around here do that sort of thing or are original in any way really. “Cool hair, man!” He peeks out again, longer this time. The smile on my face disappears. Something’s not right. His skin is not right. It’s. It’s, well, way too pale and almost iridescent. I can see his ears aren’t normal either; they are pointed at the tops and I think the lobes are pointed too. I ask again “Are you okay? For real.” He slowly creeps out from his hiding place. Once he is fully exposed he stands up a little straighter and just looks at me with a curious expression. My jaw drops and I’m sure my blood stops flowing. I was wrong before, this is no person.


End file.
